Summary
The 101 students were awarded the provisional certificates at tech fest Paradox 2022
At least 17 students in the batch have an annual family income of less than Rs 1 lakh
A total of 101 students of BSc degree programme at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras received their provisional certificates and participated in various events at tech fest ‘Paradox 2022’, held from May 20 to May 22 at the institute campus.
Over 2,000 students from all parts of the country attended the festivities, while many students pursuing the BSc degree programme from foreign countries also took part in it.
Students pursuing the IIT Madras BSc degree hail from diverse geographies, different age groups and varied socioeconomic backgrounds. Out of the 101 students from the first batch, nearly 15%are working professionals. While nine students are under 20 years old, three students are aged above 40 years. The students from the first batch hail from across the country including far-flung states like Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and Jharkhand, IIT Madras said in a statement.
The IIT Madras BSc Degree in Programming and Data Sciences is the first-of-its-kind programme that makes it possible for students to study at IIT Madras without writing the Joint Entrance Examination. This carefully designed programme allows multiple entries and exits. Learners can get a certificate after completion of foundation-level courses, two diplomas after the completion of second-level courses, and a BSc degree after completion of the final-level courses.
Addressing the Ceremony, V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said, “In my interaction with the BSc students, I understood that the students are enjoying this programme. We are happy that we are able to enable their dream to study from an IIT. This programme is now becoming the benchmark for any online effort from IIT Madras.”
The BSc degree programme, which aims to create a level-playing field for India’s youth, has removed barriers to education and made quality IIT Madras education accessible to all.
Speaking about the experience of pursuing the course, Krishna, a working professional based out of Abu Dhabi, said, “The students of BSc degree programme have different professional backgrounds and hail from different countries from across the globe. Attending the fest with my fellow learners at IIT Madras campus was an amazing experience.”
Emphasising the success of the programme, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, former director, IIT Madras, who is currently a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, said, “The BSc programme, which offers high quality learning experience, is going to become a very important part of higher education in the country. The Institute's aim is to give the highest quality education to the learners and I am sure that the learners of the course will definitely increase in the upcoming years.”
Highlighting the significance of the course, Andrew Thangaraj, professor in- charge, BSc in Programming and Data Science, IIT Madras, said, “Data Science is a thriving business with a high demand for qualified resources. We are in the process of creating a pool of trained resources from India to meet the global requirements in this domain.”
‘Paradox 2022’, sponsored by Tiger Analytics, Tech Mahindra, Aditya Birla and Market.xyz had a potpourri of events including professional talks, sports activities, hackathons, cultural events, and workshops. All these events were conducted to help the students showcase their talents.
On 22nd May 2022, top executives of multinational brands like IBM, Walmart Global Tech India, TCS, Infosys, Latentview Analytics, and Capgemini, participated in panel discussions and interacted with the students.
Proteeti Banerjee, a BSc degree programme student from Kolkata, said, “The most exciting part of Paradox 2022 was to meet faculty members and course instructors. I also had a chance to explore the IIT Madras campus and participate in various events.”
Last updated on 23 May 2022
